Stephanie Kennedy: Uncut

May 16, 2013

Jaala A. Thibault

“We have tree rounds that we use for box jumps. We don’t have a rower, but I have a poor women’s Airdyne. Working out at home is nice. While my kids play, I can focus on getting my training in at the same time.”

Photo by: Jason Dupere

Photo by: Chris Worden

Top photo by: Bruce Brown

For the last three years, SoCal’s Stephanie Kennedy has not made it to the final day of Regionals. In 2010, she took 28th. In 2011, she finished 16th. Last year, she finished in 20th, just two spots away from being able to compete in the final event.

“I am so excited about the fact that there are no cuts this year,” she says. “I have been heartbroken at Regionals every time I was told that I could not move on in the competition. You work so hard year after year, and you want to be able to test yourself. It is a shame when you are so close, so many times, and get cut. This year, I don’t have to worry.”

Though she finished the Open in 37th place in the region, she never felt she was guaranteed a spot at Regionals until the Leaderboard officially closed.

“Honestly, I am counting my blessings for making it (to Regionals) this year. I am glad the Open is over,” Kennedy says. “I worried week after week about my place. I had to work so hard and really focus on the Open workouts to be sure that I made it to Regionals. The level of competition in the sport has become much more intense. I’m happy I made it through.”

The stress of competing has not worn Kennedy down, though. Performing under pressure is second nature.

Growing up, Kennedy competed in gymnastics and many other sports. In college, she played Division I softball at Purdue University. Eventually, she found a way to use her athletic experience as part of a career with the U.S. Forest Service.

“I spent close to 10 years as a wildland firefighter,” she says. “I was a hot shot helicopter rappeller, and eventually a smoke jumper. As a female firefighter, I really needed to be at the top of my game, both physically and mentally, to make it through the fire seasons. Those were some of the best years of my life — flying around in helicopters and planes, jumping out, fighting fire and hiking out with my 80-plus pounds of gear over miles and miles of rough terrain. This is where I gained my mental toughness that has helped me the most in CrossFit.”

This mental toughness will be put to the test for Kennedy in less than a week in Del Mar, Calif. When the Regional Events were released, her reaction ranged from relief to excitement to nervousness.

“I like the programming this year,” she says. “When I saw the workouts, I knew that I could do all of those things, so that felt good … but the box jump/deadlift workout will be tough. In 2011 (at Regionals), that deadlift was really heavy and the box jumps were difficult. It was my worst workout by far. Fortunately, I have worked extensively on my posterior chain strength, so this will hopefully help me.”

Kennedy has shifted her training to focus primarily on Olympic lifting.

“This year, I worked on strength all the way and basically forgot about cardio,” she explains. “It has also been the first year where I have worked out five days in a week instead of four.”

Spending more time in the gym has not been easy. Kennedy is now a full-time Agricultural Biologist, part-time coach at Central Coast CrossFit and has a husband and two young daughters.

“It has been hard making more time for training, but my husband has helped all the way around, getting equipment and making things for our home gym,” Kennedy says. “We have tree rounds that we use for box jumps. We don’t have a rower, but I have a poor women’s Airdyne. Working out at home is nice. While my kids play, I can focus on getting my training in at the same time.”

Kennedy is confident she can finish the required amount of work in each event.

“Before the workouts were released, I wanted to make the cut and be able to compete in all of the events,” she says. “Now, I’d love to finish everything!”